How to fly in business class for less than in economy class

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Business class flights are an absolutely amazing luxury experience. Having a lie-flat pod seat and high-quality service is worth literally thousands of dollars. But by knowing the pro tips, you can book this for less than economy class — as we’ve done several times ourselves. For real!

For several years, Flytrippers has been telling you that rewards of the more lucrative type have UNLIMITED value. This type of travel rewards allows you to get outsized value. They’re the best for those who love getting good deals!!!

These points can be very good for economy class if you want to travel more frequently, but they are phenomenal for premium cabins if you want to travel more luxuriously.

Here is how to book business class flights for less.

Contents hide
Basics of how to book business class for less
Step 1: Get airline points
Step 2: Find business class seats that are available
Step 3: Book with your airline points
Learning how to travel for less
Summary

 

Basics of how to book business class for less

Just to show you how much cheaper it is, I booked a 12-hour flight in the world’s best business class. It was worth $4000. I paid just 54,000 points and $161. Sadly, most people use 54,000 points to get just $540 off travel (or worse)…

Here are the basics of how to book business class for less:

  • Get airline points
    • It’s so easy to get a lot of them
    • These are the most valuable points
  • Find business class seats that are available
    • This is the step that requires the most effort
    • We’ll help you
  • Book with your airline points
    • This saves you thousands of dollars
    • And let’s you travel in the utmost luxury

Not more complicated than that: you need to have airline points (or bank points that are transferable to airline programs)!!! And you need to have some flexibility if you want a good deal, like with all deals in literally anything in any field.

Obviously, there are a few other pretty major things to know that I’ll explain step by step, too. But that’s the short version.

All premium cabins! Note that I use the term “business class” in this guide because it’s really the class we recommend you aim for (and because so many travelers use “business class” and “first class” interchangeably), but points also allow you to book the 2 other premium cabins (first class and premium economy). It works the same way.

Now, let’s look at exactly how you can fly in a very luxurious seat.

Cathay Pacific business class (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

 

Step 1: Get airline points

This is key. Worldwide, there is no trick other than airline points that can give you such huge discounts on flights. Absolutely none.

Here are the best current deals to travel in business class for less:

Best credit cards for
airline points
American Express® Gold Rewards Card
American Express Gold Rewards Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $1k/mo for 12 mos.
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
Rewards: ≈ $1180
Card fee: $250
Airline points with the bonus: 72,000 pts
+ 4 lounge passes
and $100 travel credit
NEW
 RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $5k in 6 mos.
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
ends June 3rd

 apply now
Rewards: ≈ $900
Card fee: $120
Airline points with the bonus: 60,000 pts
+ usually 30% more
with transfer bonus
American Express Cobalt® Card
American Express Cobalt Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $750/mo for 12 mos.
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
Rewards: ≈ $900
Card fee: $156
Airline points with the bonus: 60,000 pts
+ 5X earn rate
no increased offer
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $12k in 12 mos. (incl. $7.5k in 180 days)†
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
offer effective since January 7th
Rewards: ≈ $641
Annual fee: $0 $139
Airline points with the bonus: 40k pts with bonus
(52,000 pts total)
40k + 12k on min. spend
extended
 RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege Card
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $5k in 6 mos.
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
limited time
Rewards: ≈ $919
Card fee: $399
Airline points with the bonus: 60,000 pts
+ 6 passes
for airport lounges
American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card
American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $7.5k in 3 mos.
WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)
Rewards: ≈ $1041
Card fee: $599
Airline points with the bonus: 69,375 pts
+ unlimited AC lounges
& other AC benefits
Terms and conditions apply. Flytrippers editorial opinion only. Financial institutions are not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click "See More" to see most up-to-date information.
Best credit cards for
airline points		 WELCOME BONUS
(Flytrippers VALUATION)		 Airline points
with the bonus
American Express Gold Rewards Card
American Express® Gold Rewards Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $1k/mo for 12 mos.
Rewards: ≈ $1180
Card fee: $250
72,000 pts
+ 4 lounge passes
and $100 travel credit
NEW
 RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $5k in 6 mos.
Rewards: ≈ $900
Card fee: $120
60,000 pts
+ usually 30% more
with transfer bonus
ends June 3rd

 apply now
American Express Cobalt Card
American Express Cobalt® Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $750/mo for 12 mos.
Rewards: ≈ $900
Card fee: $156
60,000 pts
+ 5X earn rate
no increased offer
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $12k in 12 mos. (incl. $7.5k in 180 days)†
Rewards: ≈ $641
Annual fee: $0 $139
40k pts with bonus
(52,000 pts total)
40k + 12k on min. spend
offer effective since January 7th
extended
 RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege Card
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $5k in 6 mos.
Rewards: ≈ $919
Card fee: $399
60,000 pts
+ 6 passes
for airport lounges
limited time
American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card
American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card
Min. income (card):
Min. spend (bonus): $7.5k in 3 mos.
Rewards: ≈ $1041
Card fee: $599
69,375 pts
+ unlimited AC lounges
& other AC benefits
Terms and conditions apply. Flytrippers editorial opinion only. Financial institutions are not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click "See More" to see most up-to-date information.

Choosing which points to get is important (I’ll get to that), but not as important as understanding the basics of travel rewards: welcome bonuses are how to go fast! So simple. But so difficult for many to understand because of lots of myths and bad influences.

If you understand that, you’re on your way to being a pro. There’s nothing more important. Without a credit card, you can also buy points but it’s obviously not as good a deal. I’ll do a detailed post about that, but there’s a good intro in the article about the last promo to buy Aeroplan points points.

Here are the steps to get airline points:

  • Apply and unlock a huge welcome bonus
    • This is THE most vital thing to understand
  • Start over
    • It will also improve your credit score
  • Start over again
    • Yes!
  • Start over again and again and again
    • You get the idea I hope

Having more cards IMPROVES your credit score if you follow the 3 simple rules in our infographic that summarizes the basics of travel rewards.

I’ve been applying for several cards per year for 15 years and I have an 800+ credit score… and I’ve gotten $20,871 (CA$30,000)+ in free travel. It would have been much more than “just” $20,871 (CA$30,000) if I had taken more than just 2 business class flights out of the dozens I paid for with my points.

Myths! There are so many myths that are so widespread and so wrong about credit cards. It’s normal not to know; it’s a very counter-intuitive world. Not being well-informed is normal; staying that way isn’t. You should absolutely read our infographic if you haven’t yet. It’s vital for any beginner!

There are 7 airline point currencies easily available to Canadians (which allow you to book on 100+ airlines), but you can access all 7 easily by simply having 2 bank points currencies that are transferable to airline points. It’s the simplest way to start to have more flexibility.

In the medium term, if you want to have more options and really travel in business class often, you should have stashes of several (if not all) of the 7. But to help you start and choose the best points to get first, we have a guide that summarizes the different airline points in a simple way.

 

Step 2: Find business class seats that are available

This is the most complex part, because to be able to offer seats at a guaranteed fixed low price, seats available with points are limited. This is what allows having a limited price… and therefore to give you unlimited value. I explain this in detail in the article about how reward redemptions work.

Here are the best search tips to travel in business class for less:

  • Be flexible with booking dates
    • Start early in advance
    • Or check often
    • Or be ready to book last-minute
  • Be flexible with flight dates
    • Especially if you want a direct flight
  • Be flexible with connections
    • Adding a short flight helps
    • To find the long flight in business class
  • Be flexible with routes
    • Adding positioning flights helps
    • To find the long flight in business class

Be extremely flexible. On everything. There’s no magic recipe. You have to be flexible and you have to put in a bit of time to find if you want an exceptional deal! Business class seats are the best deal, so they’re harder to find. It’s therefore not different at all from tips to find a cheap flight in cash, or in points for economy class.

It’s just that it’s even more important because this tip allows you to save literally thousands of dollars instead of “just” hundreds. The main differences are the possibility of booking last-minute that isn’t common for economy class, and the upside of booking very early that isn’t common with cash.

Here are the steps to find available business class seats with points:

  • Sign up for Flytrippers’ free newsletter about travel rewards
    • NEW: we’ll start sharing points deals
  • Search on the website of the program in which you have points
    • Or all sites if you have multiple point currencies (you should)
  • Search on the PointsYeah tool to see more results
    • It allows broader searches (for some points)
  • Recheck very often manually
    • PointsYeah even has some free alerts
    • Their premium version allows more alerts

Banks give you welcome bonuses that can give you business-class flights worth thousands of dollars. There’s only one major constraint: it’s really not that bad when they give you thousands of dollars so easily!

It’s that you have to be more flexible. And we’ll help you a lot to find available seats from now on.

The big challenge is that most airline program sites don’t allow you to see the cheapest destinations for a specific date or the cheapest dates for a specific destination (unlike search tools for cash flights).

This obviously makes it more difficult to find the limited available seats. That’s why a tool like PointsYeah is handy, but it doesn’t list all results. Still, it helps if you don’t like doing manual searches.

Don’t miss our separate articles about how to do searches concretely and how to use the PointsYeah tool well soon.

 

Step 3: Book with your airline points

Booking a flight with points is almost always as simple as booking a flight in cash. Nothing complicated there. But I’ll take this opportunity to share various important things to do before booking, most of which are quite unique to business class specifically.

Here are the best tips specific to travel in business class for less:

  • Confirm the business class’ details
    • Make sure it’s good; it varies enormously
  • Confirm the price is good
    • Make sure it’s the standard level
  • Confirm it’s not a mixed cabin itinerary
    • Make sure the long flight is in business class
  • Book as soon as you see a seat you like
    • Be ready by knowing where and when you can leave

It’s extremely important to understand that not all business classes are created equal. You can read our guide about airplane seat classes to understand the basics. Don’t book without looking at the quality of business class on that airline but especially on that specific aircraft model. It varies a lot!

A particularity of redemptions with airline points is that sometimes programs will make more seats available but at a higher price than it’s supposed to be at the standard level. Don’t pay 400,000 Aeroplan points for Europe when it’s supposed to cost just 70,000 (as many sadly do)! I’m preparing an article about this soon.

Sometimes, reward program search engines will show you a mixed cabin flight in the results when you search for a business class flight. For example, a Toronto-Chicago-Tokyo flight in business class… but only the Toronto-Chicago segment is in business class. This is obviously to be avoided.

Finally, you should not wait at all when you see a seat. It’s not that complicated: you just need to prepare yourself. You should have some document where you list the dates when you and your travel companions are available. You should have thought about the general destinations that interest you BEFORE. When you find a seat, you have to book it. Not spend 6 hours evaluating whether you want to go to Asia. You’ll miss out. Exactly the same as with cash deals.

Here are the steps to book with airline points:

  • Go to the reward program’s website
  • Search for flights in points
  • Select the desired flight
  • Book it like any flight

It’s really not complicated. But we see that many are either very stressed or completely inexperienced in terms of booking anything, so we want to help. We’re trying to do more and more step-by-step content with screenshots.

I’ll do one for the next flight I book and share it with you if you’ve signed up for our free newsletter specifically about travel rewards. I’m going to Asia in about a week and haven’t booked the flight yet (I’m taking advantage of this to go to the exclusive Amex Platinum event in Whistler).

 

Learning how to travel for less

Join over 100,000 savvy Canadian travelers who already receive Flytrippers’ free newsletter so we can help you travel for less — including thanks to the wonderful world of travel rewards!

Sign up for our travel rewards newsletter

 

Summary

Now that you know how to book business class flights for less, if you don’t necessarily want to travel more often, you might not want to travel in economy class anymore. At least for long-distance flights. It’s very easy to do those flights in ultimate luxury, thanks to airline points!

 

What would you like to know about how to fly in business class for less? Tell us In the comments below.

 

See the flight deals we spot: Cheap flights

Discover free travel with rewards: Travel rewards

Explore awesome destinations: Travel inspiration

Learn pro tricks: Travel tips

 

Featured image: Qatar Airways Qsuite business class (photo credit: Qatar Airways)

 

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Andrew D'Amours

Andrew is the co-founder of Flytrippers. He is passionate about traveling the world but also, as a former management consultant, about the travel industry itself. He shares his experiences to help you save money on travel. As a very cost-conscious traveler, he loves finding deals and getting free travel thanks to travel rewards points... to help him visit every country in the world (current count: 71/193 Countries, 47/50 US States & 9/10 Canadian Provinces).

This Post Has 6 Comments

  1. SEAN PEGG February 23, 2025 Reply

    we r an older couple hoping to travel to more distant places whilebour health is still goo.d. These long flights in economybon packed planes are hard to ha dle. But prices look very expensive for cash purchases.
    We r trying to get from Fiji to YVR in August @ 21st but business is very $$$. We bought a 1 way econo to Fiji on Fiji Air Aug 3rd to catch a Norwegian 2 week cruise. Then NCL changed itinersry from 3 sea days to 6 with no compensstion. Also the changed final port from Cairns whiere we wanted to go to Syfney which we didn’.t. So we r cancelling this cruise for free and will stay 2 weeks in Fiji thus needing a return flight to YVR. We paid Cdn 1062 1 way and they want to charge us 1547 back. They r one world but we r Star Alliance points. Any hope gor even to get a much cheaper econo home if not a decent biz class??
    My wife has osteo so it is much tougher on her. i would even get her a biz ticket and stay in econo . Many thanks for any tips.
    Jane & Sean

    1. Andrew D'Amours March 5, 2025 Reply

      Hi Jane & Sean,

      Yes, paying cash for premium cabins is super expensive and is a frankly terrible idea. You really shouldn’t do that unless you enjoy lighting money on fire.

      That said, Fiji is one of the toughest destinations for business class because there are so few airlines that fly there. You might actually have an easier time by backtracking to Australia if there’s last-minute business class availability from there. We often see some with Aeroplan points, which I assume are the ones you have. It’s 87,500 points for business class on partner airlines.

      As for cheaper economy class prices in cash, I see some under $1000 that day with a layover in LAX. If you are not flexible enough to do a stop, you’re very rarely going to find a good deal with cash or points. Flexibility is always the key.

  2. Andre February 17, 2025 Reply

    Love your informative articles. Only critique would be they are a bit longwinded.

    1. Andrew D'Amours March 5, 2025 Reply

      Hi Andre,

      Thanks! I try to keep them to the point while giving all the required information, if you have feedback on which part specifically you found too long it would help greatly 🙂

  3. Barry Wilder February 16, 2025 Reply

    Do you have to book through Aeroplan (Air Canada) site even if you want to fly with another airline?

    1. Andrew D'Amours March 5, 2025 Reply

      Hi Barry,

      Yes, you can only use Air Canada’s rewards currency on the Air Canada website, like with almost all rewards currencies. But available seats on partners will show up in the results there 🙂

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